Torres is angling to join Chelsea before tomorrow's transfer deadline.

One of Torres's team-mates told the Mail on Sunday: "He has always been a complex character. He is so naturally gifted he's always been totally self-absorbed.

"For the first year we'd put his quietness down to a lack of fluent English, but then he'd come out with something word perfect, which made you realise he understood what was going on all the time.

"It wasn't shyness, more aloofness. And on the pitch he'd definitely play for himself rather than the team. Even the real pros like Stevie Gerrard and Jamie Carragher noticed it but when Torres is on top form you'd forgive him anything.

"But his efforts for the team this season under Roy Hodgson made everyone notice. His Prozone stats for some games were laughable for a Premier League striker. He has always been admired by his teammates, but not loved. He hasn't endeared himself in the way that Pepe Reina has, for example."